November 1 and November 2 are two very special days in the liturgical life of the Church. On the one hand, we prayerfully ask the saints to intercede to God for us in a special way on All Saints’ Day (November 1), while on the other hand, we commemorate and pray for the souls of all of our faithful departed on All Souls’ Day (November 2).

The theology teacher has the ability to rely on All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day as key opportunities to explain to students why (and how) the Catholic Church advocates for both asking for the intercession of the saints and praying for the dead (whose souls could be in Purgatory)

Catholic Schools Week is a great chance to point out the reasons teens and adults alike are Catholic. Share or adapt the following assignment from Sr. Kieran Sawyer, SSND, to help teens answer the question "Why be a Catholic?"

The video "Why I Hate Religion But Love Jesus", posted yesterday on YouTube had about one million views after 24 hours and thousands of Facebook shares. The poem, spoken by an older teen, pokes at the hypocrisy of religion while maintaining that Jesus had no use for religion during his time on earth and would not feel at home in organized religion today.

Brad Rothrock, a theology teacher, at St. Mary's High School in Lynn, Massachusetts reminds us to gauge what teens know and what they don't know and why it never hurts to begin any course with a discussion that starts with "Who is God?"

The Feast of the Assumption, August 15, is a good chance to remind everyone to take care of their bodies and respect them as Temples of the Holy Spirit, for our bodies are the seed from which our heavenly body will some day blossom.

In light of the recent announcement that the United States Catholic Bishops will take up the issue of politics and abortion at the meeting of the full body of bishops in November, take some time to visit the Faithful Citizenship site sponsored by the USCCB.

With presidential politics and primaries in full swing and the feast day of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American born saint recently celebrated, consider the following lesson icebreaker on the theme of the Catholic Church in America.